Kenya rules out Ebola case following scare at airport

NAIROBI, Aug. 1 (Xinhua) -- The Kenyan government on Friday refuted claims that a passenger who boarded the national airline in Monrovia, Liberia had Ebola.

Director of Medical Services in the Ministry of Health, Nicholas Muraguri said in a statement that intensive screening revealed no traces of Ebola virus in the passenger.

"Today, the crew onboard KQ 509 coming from West Africa alerted our team at the airport about a sick person on board. We responded immediately by instructing the aircraft be isolated upon landing," Muraguri said.

He revealed that paramedics and airport staff screened all passengers including the sick person.

"It was discovered that the person was suffering from hypertension, diabetes and a stroke and did not have signs of infectious disease," Muraguri said.

Kenyan authorities have maintained a 24-hour vigil to prevent the spread of Ebola virus.

The national airline said on Thursday that screening of passengers from Ebola hotspots in West Africa has been intensified.

The Ministry of Health has been coordinating surveillance at points of entry to ensure Kenyans are protected from the deadly Ebola virus.

"I confirm to all Kenyans that no case of Ebola has been detected in the country and we shall continue to be vigilant to ensure this state is maintained," Muraguri said.

He added that the Ministry of Health is working closely with Kenya airports authority and major airlines to ensure any person detected with strange ailments is screened.

While there is no specific drug against Ebola, WHO said the best treatment is intensive supportive treatment provided in the hospital by health workers using strict infection control procedures.

The UN health agency said health workers treating patients with suspected or confirmed illness are at higher risk of infection than other groups, as demonstrated by the reports of doctors treating Ebola victims contracting the disease in West Africa.